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This activity has benefited from input from faculty educators beyond the author through a review and suggestion process. This review took place as a part of a faculty professional development workshop where groups of faculty reviewed each others' activities and offered feedback and ideas for improvements. To learn more about the process On the Cutting Edge uses for activity review, see http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/review.html.

Initial Publication Date: August 17, 2010

Class Project

Rose McKenney, Pacific Lutheran University

Summary
This project is used to assess the overall spatial analysis skills and their understanding of data management, data sources and display of spatial data.

Context

Type and level of course
This is a final project in an introductory GIS course.

Geoscience background assumed in this assignment
None.

GIS/remote sensing skills/background assumed in this assignment
Successful completion of a set of tutorial exercises is assumed.

Software required for this assignment/activity:
ArcGIS 9.3 perhaps with Spatial or 3D analyst.

Time required for students to complete the assignment:
At least one week of full time work (4-8 hrs/day)

Goals

GIS/remote sensing techniques students learn in this assignment
Varies with project and student skill level.

Other content/concepts goals for this activity
The idea is that after learning a set of GIS skills students will be able to apply those skills to study a topic of interest, preferably that is a part of their disciplinary or programmatic major.

Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Students must propose an idea, find or create appropriate data sets, manipulate the data into a usable form, analyze spatial data, display spatial data and assess the success of their project.

Description of the activity/assignment

To prepare for the final project, students will have spent 2 to 3 weeks working through a GIS Tutorial, Third edition by Gorr and Kurland. They also have spent 3 weeks reading and learning about concepts in collecting, managing and analyzing spatial data.

Determining whether students have met the goals

I evaluate their progress on their project, mapfiles and supporting data and their final poster.
More information about assessment tools and techniques.